Snuff
by xXxSamanieXxX
Summary: Joker /potential/ romance fic. Full summary inside. Main character is mine...
1. Introduction

**_This story is completely my creation, inspired by the song Snuff by Slipknot. (You'll understand later) I will be switching between point of views in this story and this is just a trial chapter to see if people will be interested..._**

**_We meet a young assassin, fleeing her previous powerful boss for betraying him. While running for her life she finds herself coming to Gotham where she crosses path with the Dark Knight and his rival the Joker..._**

**_We'll see where it goes from there._**

**_...I'll be making up a lot of names of Joker's henchmen and such as I go along, since he clearly doesn't keep them for very long, he drops them like a bad habit frequently, so they'll just be random, but probably important pieces to the story. As well; I've yet to decide when this story is taking place, but it will become clear more as the story progresses... perhaps post tDK, but I'll be making it up as I go along. *rubs head shyly* I hope you can forgive me for not being as well versed as I should. I will do more research though; promise! Also as I said I'll be switching between point of view; just to change things up a little, so I'll try to make sure everyone understands just who's point its from... :3_**

_..._

_Bury all your secrets in my skin, come away with innocence and leave me with my sins...~_

Dead silent almost seemed to be an understatement at this time of night, I glanced down at my watch, or morning if one preferred. The invigorating cool air brushed passed me, causing my dark hair to dance around pale, tired features. A small, white looking object caught my eye as I crossed the street, reaching up to capture it between my fingers. As I flipped the mysterious playing card over, a Joker's grin smiled back at me. I squinted lightly, feeling on edge as I let the card go, back in to the calling wind. Here in Gotham City the Joker card held more significance than just the most powerful play in a deck, a wild card as it were. I had heard rumors, and it made me shiver. Glancing around, I realized then that I was still standing in the road way and took another careful step.

The piercing squeal of the skidding tires shattered the silence that was short lived over Gotham. My head turned swiftly, giving me just enough time to jump out of the way as what appeared to be a police car raced passed me. Though inside was a cackling madman I recognized instantly, a sudden rush of astonishment and fear rippled through my body as I stood once more. A dark blur sped across my vision, the whirling of Batman's bike barely missing me as it shot like a bullet, straightening out after the Joker. I gave a gasp of anger and ran after them, seeing both vehicles come to a stop just up the cracked and broken street. Although I felt wary about it, I couldn't pass up this opportunity, even if it meant cutting my time in Gotham City short.

_I'm a criminal, I can handle this... _I thought, as if trying to convince myself that made it okay to approach them. I knew enough on how to escape a dangerous situation that I slowly became comfortable enough with the idea, wanting to watch this fight in person. It was quite thrilling for a 'low on the food chain' assassin like me to see such an insanely wide known criminal like the Joker do battle with the Dark Knight. My eyes twinkled in anticipation as I neared, the Joker's laugh ringing out around me, sending chills up my spine. I had heard many stories about this man from Mobsters I had previously worked for, but none of them could have prepared me for this alarming feeling that set deep in my stomach.

Hardly able to contain myself I stood with a casual lean, hands resting in my pockets. The Joker grinned with a deep satisfaction as Batman repeatedly struck him. His laughter continued to sing out, acting like he truly enjoyed the pain being inflicted on him. His head whipped to the side, his neck giving a loud crack as Batman hit him hard in the side of the face. Our eyes met in that moment, and under normal circumstances I would have fled without question, but his penetrating gaze held me there, frozen in place.

I saw his mouth move, saying something but I seemed to have gone deaf for a moment, unable to hear anything but the pounding sound of my fearful, awestruck heart. The Batman followed the Joker's gaze, to my surprise, and now I had both of them staring me down. My eyes slowly shifted from the Joker's, to Batman's, and then back. I was quickly becoming aware, breathing quickening, a slight tremble to my hands and knees. I shied away from their tormenting gaze, but stood my ground.

"Well helloooo, beautiful...~" The Joker sang out, his Glasgow grin widening in delight.

I blinked, looking around for a moment before realizing -from the Joker's amused snicker- that he was talking to... me. I would have been flattered had this been anywhere else, but with him trapped beneath the Batman I was much too distracted. Still, I could feel color burning my cheeks in a light blush. Luckily I was still a fair distance from them both of them, I didn't have to worry about it much. Furthermore I genuinely didn't care what most people thought of me.

Batman and the Joker, were _not _most people.

Finding I had been rambling on in my own thoughts, Batman brought my back to reality, ordering in a deep, harsh voice that I should turn myself around and run away. Easier said than done as the bottom half of my body still wouldn't cooperate with the orders my brain was giving. Not at least, until I heard the sound of police sirens howling out in the distance. I moved instantly and took Batman by surprise, tackling him off the Joker out of pure instinct.

The next few moments went by in a blur...

Joker's laughter rang out, Batman made a disapproving grunt which followed closely by some yelling. I found myself shrieking as well, a powerful arm wrapping around my waist and dragging me off. I growled, fighting around my kidnapper but he was much too strong, no matter what I tried. It frustrated me, being not the first time someone tried to kidnap me but I always managed to get away. This time was different, like I was attacking an immovable object that just wouldn't let go. He whistled loudly, a black SUV with tinted windows swerved in front of us, the door sliding open. I was carelessly tossed inside, and painful pinch catching me in the back of the neck and suddenly nothing.

Blackness.

My mind wandered in and out of consciousness, still trying to figure out all that had happened as my thoughts shifted to much earlier.

_A clear view in my head, showing me staring at my watch. The time was almost four in the afternoon and from the looks of things I had appeared to have just woken up. A loud knock caught my attention, head turning quickly as I threw my bag over my shoulder. The window was my only way out and I took it, heading quickly down the narrow metal steps of the fire escape._

_With an exasperated sigh I put out my thumb, walking along the side of the highway that shitty motel I was staying at was positioned beside. The place was so bad I didn't feel that I should pay, that, and I was dead broke. I had left my previous job not a day prior, leaving my Boss with a nasty taste for revenge in his mouth. In my business if you weren't prepared to run for your life, change cities all the time, take on a new identity every few weeks, fight, lie, cheat, steal, never make true relationships with others, and most importantly_ **kill **_to avoid leaving a trail or just to survive;__you would just become another Jane Doe. Left in a ditch with your throat slit, or tied to a rock at the bottom of the ocean. For now I would choose life, if only to satisfy my need to win._

_A dark car pulled up next to me, a young man glanced out the window, cigarette hanging loosely on his lips. I gripped my bag strap tightly, sauntering over to the car. My eyes met his and a smile greeted me._

_"Where you headed sweetheart?" He said with a thick, Boston accent._

_I played cute, smiling at him,"where are _you_ headed?"_

_"'Round Gotham..."_

_I could tell that he didn't want to tell me exactly where he was headed, but Gotham was perfect, there were plenty of Mobs I could go to for employment and protection. I didn't know why I hadn't thought of that on my own._

_"So..." His voice brought me from my thoughts._

_"Great," I exclaimed, "Gotham City is _exactly_ where I was headed!"_

_He nodded, "hop on in."_

_The drive was relatively quiet, aside from the usual questions someone would ask when I got in their car. I gave him a name, one I would quickly forget, told him some back story about running away from home to visit my boyfriend who was now a police officer in Gotham. The idiot seemed to by it with no issue, casually offering me a smoke. I just shook my head and focused out the window, listening to the radio as it played some kind of rock music I casually tapped my foot to._

_Soon enough Gotham City came in to view. I stared at the breathtaking sight, my eyes glowing with anticipation. I was so much enveloped in wonder that I barely heard what's-his-name talking to me._

_"This is as far as I'm goin' sweetheart." He repeated, this time I heard him. _

_I reached down to nonchalantly scratch my leg, and pulled a gun from my gray suede boot._

_"You're gunna have to walk from h-" his eyes widened in horror and I gave him a short look, shaking my head. He raised his hands for a moment, pleading, "please don't shoot me. I'll drive ya wherever you wanna go."_

_As his hands moved back to the steering wheel I placed the gun to his head, shaking mine once more disapprovingly._

_"O-okay, what do you want?" Tears were forming in his eyes but really I felt nothing._

_"It's not about that," I smiled slightly, "I just can't let you leave knowing someone might catch wind of where I am."_

_"I won't tell anyone, I promise!" His pleading was getting more desperate, I rolled my eyes. This was not unusual, everyone was the same._

_"Yeah, see..." I nodded knowingly, "they always say that, but I'm just not prepared to see if that falls through or not. My life's on the line you know." _

_I waved the gun a little, caught up in thought, allowing the driver to grab the back of my head and slam it in to the dashboard. A low hiss escaped my now pouting lips, turning my attention to the man holding a gun, my __own__ gun, in my face._

_I felt slightly disoriented by my mind focused quickly, allowing me to comprehend the situation at hand._

_"Now, that really wasn't nice." I sighed._

_"Just shut the fuck up!" His shaking was intense, making it hard for him to keep hold on that gun. It took a lot for me not to crack a smile, damn rookies could never hold a gun straight in the face of someone who they were about to kill. Had I not been looking at him, I would have thought back to my first kill, but it wasn't the time..._

_I made a face, unamused._

_"Now get the hell out of my car!" He shouted suddenly._

_"This is why I always make it quick," I explained to him, "to avoid getting those...shakes. The longer you wait to shoot a person, the harder your subconscious will fight you not to."_

_I gradually moved my arm toward the door handle, allowing the knife hidden in my sleeve to drop carefully in to my waiting hand. I gripped it and quickly twisted my body, moving the gun away with one hand as I plunged the knife deep in to his jugular with the other._

_"See I don't like using knives," I told him, taking my gun back as well as the knife. His eyes were wide as he clutched at his throat, gurgling as he began to drown in his own blood. He was trying so hard to breathe as I continued to talk, "they're just too personal. I try my best to avoid letting those who help me, suffer. But sometimes..." My voice trailed off as I reached over him, opening the car door. I unbuckled his seat belt and gently pushed his form out of the car. He struggled for a good thirty seconds, clinging to the remains of his pathetic life but it was in vain, and soon the light faded from his eyes. "Sometimes it just can't be helped."_

_Luckily none of his blood got on the car, or on me. I grabbed for his wallet sitting in the center compartment between us and took out the handful of twenties I found there. I tossed the wallet on to his body, feeling only right for someone to know who this dead fellow was before I climbed in to the driver seat. The car was still running, Highway to Hell playing on the radio._

_I fixed the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of the blackening around my eye from him slamming me in to the dashboard. Shutting the car door, I flipped down the overhead mirror and reached in to the side pocket of my duffel bag for my compact, dabbing the bruising. No way was I going in to a new city looking like that. I had to make a good impression in order to find a both worthy of my many skills and talents. Not that I was one to brag..._

_The car ran out of gas not too much farther up the road but I wasn't planning on keeping it anyway. Before setting it ablaze I changed in the back seat. A fresh pair of dark bray jeans, a dark purple and white striped shirt, and black jacket. Topped off with my favorite pair of buckled leather boots._

_A gust from the explosion hit me as I left the wreckage with nothing but the clothes on my back, the money -a total of $200- in my pocket, my gun tucked in to my boot and knife up my sleeve. I made sure to destroy the rest of my belongings, not wanting anything to be left to trace back to me. I had dragged what's-his-name in to a visible ditch so someone would see him soon and that was the end of that. The gentle wind called hauntingly, whispering as it welcomed me to Gotham City and then my thoughts dissipated._

_Back to black..._


	2. Let Her Go

Behind the dark tinted windows, within the black SUV sat three men. Two in the front and one in the back. With each passing street lamp the Joker's face illuminated a moment and disappeared once more. His blackened eyes stared down at the girl laying, unconscious on the floor. She shifted every now and again, mumbling incoherently but remained there, eyes closed.

His face twisted in to a sick smile, noticing a smudge of her makeup and revealing a blackening, bruised eye. He wondered for a moment if Batman or himself had caused this, shaking the thought away immediately. She wouldn't have had time to apply makeup to it before she collapsed, and frankly he didn't care. Taking off one of his gloves, the Joker reached down to pull her face up close to his. He pried one of her eyes open, noticing the shift in the color of it. He gently slid two fingers over the exposed eye, punching at the blue contact lens and tossed it aside, revealing the brown beneath them.

"Now, what would you need these for?" He wondered aloud.

"What was that Boss?"

"Just drive!" He snapped, anger flaring up for a moment.

The Joker rubbed off the rest of her makeup, leaving her face clear. She was very pale, and looked exhausted. Her dark hair was relatively straight, with bangs swept across her forehead, partially covering one of her eyes. She was rather short with wide hips and voluptuous breasts. His smile grew immensely, she truly was beautiful indeed...

The car came to an abrupt stop, causing the Joker to loose his grip. She tumbled back to the floor, grunting softly but remained unawoken. The Joker couldn't contain his rage, curtly shooting the driver in the head. He tossed him out of the car and climbed in to the seat, claiming he would just drive, mumbling about the idiocy of some people. He stepped on the gas and the car lurched forward.

...

The deafening sound of gun fire was what immediately woke me up. I remained still, opening my eyes just a little in time to see a blur of purple climb over me, announcing his takeover of the wheel. As the car began to move again I rolled over, hitting up against the back of the front seats. I groaned lightly at the feel of metal digging in to me and pushed myself away again, steadying my position.

Everything was quiet for awhile, causing me to drift away again. Voices brought me back eventually, vaguely hearing someone order to grab hold of me and take me inside. Despite the situation I began to grin, waiting for the side door to slide open. I brought my leg up close to me and slammed it hard in to the man as he tried to grab me. I hit him in the chest, my legs too short to reach his head. I couldn't hill him, but hit with enough force to knock him away from me and that was all I needed.

Adrenaline focused me as I threw myself in to a run from the vehicle. I didn't dare look back, knowing my assailant had a gun and could quite possibly shoot me dead. Moving in a serpentine motion I could hear footsteps gaining on me and tried to desperately push myself faster, body still slightly numb from laying on the floor of the car for so long.

I was suddenly tackled from behind and no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn't get myself away. He flipped me over, a shocked gasp escaping my lips as I peered in to the eyes of the Clown Prince of Crime. he gripped my face when I looked away, a shiver coursing through my body. The cold metal was like a shock of electricity as he placed his knife against my cheek. I focused on his eyes, trying to show the least amount of fear possible. His amused look only brightened at this.

"You look kind of nervous," he pointed out obviously, "is it the scars?" He turned his head from side to side. My eyes traveled down his face to look, intrigued if anything. I didn't hold the haze long, before returning my eyes to his. He licked his lips, waiting for a moment for my reply.

"No." I answered shortly, the scars didn't make me nervous, curious and a little sad perhaps, but not nervous.

He almost seemed surprised by my answer, looking like he was trying to decide if he believed me or not. I breathed in through my nose, the smell of gasoline filling me. It was comforting, drifting back to a memory of how much I loved the smell as I child. I could see myself in my father's car, but the memory was short lived by a harsh smack to my face.

"We all have our scars." My voice was low as the Joker put his knife in my mouth. I smiled away from it, but he quickly followed. Deciding to throw him off-guard I moved in to the blade, allowing him to cut in to the corner of my mouth. The pain was sharp and I winced as he pulled the knife out, leaving the small cut to bleed, crimson liquid dripping down my chin. I couldn't imagine the pain he felt when his face was cut open.

He stared at the blood, looking lost in thought for a moment.

"Why not even it out?" I pressed.

His eyes flashed, "you wanna know how I got these scars?" He placed the knife in on the other side and I forced myself against it.

"Love to..." It hurt to talk, opening my mouth cause the small cuts to spread apart and tear at the sensitive nerves.

The Joker's laughter shook his entire body, being pressed against mine I could feel it all too well. But it died off quickly, his face growing dark as he began telling me of a beautiful wife who told him he worried too much, told him he needed to smile more. I had a hard time imagining it with that permanent grin staring back at me. He continued on about how she'd had a gambling problem, and was deep in with the sharks. A chill gripped my spine, knowing all too well what a shark could do to someone who owed someone money. I had been witness to it many times, even taken part under Boss's strict orders.

"They carved her face," he growled, sounding saddened and angry. "We didn't have money for surgeries, and she can't take it. I just wanna see her smile again..." At this he props himself up in to a sitting position, taking me along with him. "I just want her to know that I don't car about the scars, so, I stick a razor in my mouth and do this," he turns his head from side to side again, allowing me to see as if I'd forgotten or something. "And you know what," he leans in, eyes swirling, "she can't stand the sight of me! She leaves... Now I see the funny side, now I'm always smiling."

For a moment I almost believed him, but the look in his eyes told me a different story. Still whatever happened to him has caused him much turmoil. I leaved back slightly while his guard was down, bringing my head forward to slam in to his nose. His weight fell off of me and I pulled myself to my feet. His cackling made me break one of my many rules, turning back to look as the clown rose to his feet. He looked like he hadn't been affected at all. my heart raced as he stepped toward me, I took the same number of steps back.

"You've got such fight in you, I like that in a woman..." He growled playfully.

"I'll fight until I'm spent-"

"And forever on after..." He finished, somehow knowing what I was going to say.

"Exactly." I hissed, it was like he knew me, understood what was going on in my mind. In a way that really scared me, I'd never had that except... I shook the dark thought away. None of those I had previously encountered could read me. Numerous bosses had commented on how unpredictable I was. My thoughts and feelings were always hidden, but the way the Joker's eyes bore in to mine I felt like he was reading my mind. I felt so vulnerable, I was already beginning to go mad.

I casually rubbed my wrist against my throbbing head as he opened his mouth once again to speak. He then closed it, seeming to rethink things a little.

"What?" I regretted it as soon as I said it.

A tingle fell through me, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up on end. I swung a fist around, slamming it hard in to the face of the one sneaking up on me. I jumped his fallen body and began to run again. This time, I didn't hear footsteps behind me, but the sound of the Joker's voice yelling at his men to let me go. I turned slightly before rounding the corner, watching as the Joker entered the run down apartment building he had parked in front of, allowing me to escape him. I merged with the early morning crowd and left the scene, not looking back again.


	3. Never, Ever

Days passed and slowly I was beginning to become a little more aware of the city around me. I could find my way around at least enough to get back to the hotel I was staying at, but it still took some wandering. Gotham City was different from anywhere else I had lived and after my run in with the Joker so early on I was beginning to question my choice in coming here. Still, I didn't want it to be a waste, and I was determined to find and work under someone worthy of me. It was a little different this time as most in the past; the Mob Bosses usually just tossed me between them, trading and selling me off when service was no longer needed.

After figuratively shooting my most recent Boss in the face I was no longer desired, seen solely as a loose canon. I was like a dog that needed to be put down. But I had escaped and with no one knowing me here, I could get back in to the game and most of all... remain safe. Relatively speaking.

My eyes watched the ceiling fan go round and round. I rested back on my bed with my hands behind my head, just staring. I hadn't been sleeping much since coming here, spending most nights wandering around exploring. I took note of regions where I knew Mobsters and high powered criminals would hang out, as well as places to find lowly henchmen. I just had to wait around for the right one, the right conversation to slip in to, a spot to make myself known here.

Glancing at my watch for a moment I confirmed being in Gotham for five days. It felt like the longest I had been unemployed, but I knew that couldn't be right. There were plenty of times in the past where I'd go weeks on my own, at the point where I would be practically starving to death when a new Mobster would catch wind of me being around and send for me. Of course, that was much more likely to happen in the beginning of my career. I hadn't known how to pickpocket yet, hadn't learned other essential skills that I was now very confident with. When I was picked up by a new Mob the first few days were always the most rewarding, but I didn't like to indulge much in that anymore. I had to survive and getting pampered with penthouse suites and gourmet meals was not helping. Still, I'd take advantage of a cooked meal, and a bed to sleep in, even a hot shower where I could. I was presented with the money they have wanted to pay me, I'd refuse it and just do the job. I could have retired after one job with the amount of cash I'd receive, but since the beginning I was never in it for the money. I enjoyed what I did and the reputation it gave me. Even working under the Mobsters I was always free to do as I pleased because I was never under a contract. They couldn't hold millions of dollars over my head. The best they could do was threaten my life; but that was nothing new to me and I'd just move on to another Mobster who would offer me protection as my payment. I liked it much better that way.

I thought back to my most recent Boss and it caused me to laugh out loud. He was different from a lot of the others, but I was still a step ahead of him. It had been almost an entire year with him until I finally severed our ties. I knew he was never going to forgive me, even though I had warned him of the inevitable. He seemed to have thought he could change me, teach a stray dog some manners but as soon as he thought he had, I bit him. It was harder to do than I first anticipated but I accomplished what I set out to do and fled that same night. Still he would be after me until his once loyal dog was put down, and I was determined to run. Now and forever.

The bed squeaked in pretest as I swung my legs out over the side to sit up. Brushing my hair out quickly with the comb on the nightstand. I got to my feet and left the room, heading down the stairs to the main lobby and out the door. The streets weren't overly busy at midnight, but I knew the bards would be crawling with life and headed in that direction. Luckily I had one left over ID that I could use to get myself a few needed drinks, but as I entered it seemed I probably wouldn't need it. The bar tender was a young naive looking man that I was certain I could flirt with in to giving me some for free.

With a confident stride I made my way to the bar, leaning over to speak in a bubbly tone hoping it would catch his attention. The bar tender smiled at me, green eyes twinkling. His blond hair tumbled gently over his eyes, and he pushed it out of the way as if to get a better look at me.

"Give me a whiskey neat?" I batted tender lashed at him.

"You just get here?" He raised an eyebrow, hands busy drying a glass.

"It's been a long day..."

He set the glass down in front of me, pouring some kind of fruity, girly drink I didn't recognize. I stared at the liquid, it's dark pink color actually quite pretty but not what I was after. my eyes traveled up the glass and back to the man's face.

"What's this..?"

He smiled, "I just mixed it, a girl ordered herself a Starstruck Goose Cocktail but she's gone now. Thought I'd give it to this special girl instead."

"What's in it?"

"Grey Goose L'Orange, grapefruit juice, strawberry syrup, and ginger liqueur."

I pushed the glass away, "whiskey neat."

"Alright," he smiled in defeat, "whiskey neat for the lady.."

He brought back another glass, pouring the familiar golden liquid in. I thanked him, pressing the glass to my lips and took a short sip. The tongue numbing taste filled my mouth and burned down my throat. I took another sip and set the drink down. The bar tender looked at me curiously but I just smiled, raising the glass as if for a toast and allowed more of the drink to slide in to my mouth. I stuck with my one drink, refusing as more and more men came trying to buy me mind altering alcohol. I shook my head over and over, needing to keep it clear as I listened to the men around me speaking to one another, hoping I would hear something to tip me off for new work.

"You're popular tonight." The bar tender laughed, pouring a bt more whiskey in to my glass.

I nodded, "they always like this?"

"Only for a pretty girl." He disappeared and I made a sour face, allowing more alcohol to settle in to my stomach.

"How bout a pick-me-up?" I called once my glass was empty again, Chad, the bar tender chuckled lightly, setting a beautiful drink down in front of me in a martini glass. I raised my head, "what the hell's this?"

"A man over there," he motioned with his head, "told me to make this special just for you."

I flicked the little green umbrella accompanying the drink. "What. Is. It?"

"Purple Rain." He replied in short.

I frowned, "don't want it."

Chad put two fingers on the base of the glass refusing to let me push it away. A hard glare filled my eyes and I turned to look down the bar, searching for the man who bought me this pretty little drink. It was kind of dark and I could barely make out any of the figures sitting down at the other end.

"I don't want it, Chad." I warned, "especially if this 'man' is too shy to come over and give it to me himself."

"He was very persistent," Chad smiled, "said not to let you refuse."

By the look in his eyes I could tell he wasn't going to let up and let me turn the drink down. With a heavy sigh I pulled it back toward me and swallowed it all in one breath. I was so angry I hadn't even thought about the consequence, choking a little as it went down. If we weren't in a room full of people I would have shot the bastard dead, but I wasn't about to cause a scene this early on.

"You alright?" Chad looked worried.

I sucked a breath in through my teeth, "just fine."

"Can I ask you something?" He leaned closer to me.

"You just did," I grinned suddenly feeling the affects of the alcohol, "but shoot."

"Why'd you take it neat?"

I shrugged, "I always expect poison in the ice cubes."

"Oh." Chad seemed taken aback but moved to tend to other customers.

I took this as an opportunity to get away, slipping passed the crowed and stumbling out the door. The fresh night air hit m with a shock, my wandering might straightened out slowly. It was best that I left before my drunken mouth said something it shouldn't, and I was already kicking myself for taking that drink. I had broken yet another one of my rules and I was not happy about it. **#3: Never look back**, and **#16: Never accept food or beverages without first inspecting them for poison or drugs.**

As I stumbled back to the hotel I found myself struggling with the key card to get in to my room. The stairs felt much steeper as I descended them, walking straight up to the counter, leaning on it so I didn't fall over. I was unaware of what was going on around me and went on bitching about the stupid card not working. When our eyes met I could see absolute terror and wondered what her issue was. I was certain she received complaints like this all the time. My eyes drooped slightly a wave of tiredness washing over me when a familiar voice spoke suddenly from behind me.

_"We'll be, aah, checking out."_ His gloved hand slammed my key card down on the counter, the woman jumped. "There she _goes_..!"

A strong arm caught me around the waist as I felt myself collapsing. The room spun and I was vaguely aware of the dozen or so people sitting around the room with what appeared to be makeshift bombs strapped to their chests. I struggled to keep my eyes open, body limp and going numb as I was dragged from the building. Not too far up the street a small click filled my ears, followed by a deafening boom and a sadistic laughter. I forced my eyes back open, looking back as the hotel fell into itself in a mess of smoke and flames. The burning heat washed over my face, even at our distance but it didn't last long as I felt myself once again slip away in to darkness.

**#16: Never, ever, ever accept food or beverages. Ever.**


	4. The Will

My head throbbed when I finally came to, averting my eyes away to avoid the bright light shining in to them. I tried to raise my arm to cover my face but found both wrists were bound together behind my back. Slowly as my eyes adjusted I lifted my head, focusing on my surroundings. A sinking feeling caught in my stomach, breath catching in my throat as I stared at the dust and debris of an old run down factory type building. It had appeared like my old Boss had caught me and this would be my final resting place.

"In a, ahh, a moment of crisis, a dog will… chew off its own paw in order to survive." A voice echoed through the place. I craned my neck to try and see where it was coming from, eyes landing upon a small speaker box surrounded by large barrels full of gas. Relief washed over me knowing this was the Joker's doing, but the fear crept back almost immediately.

"So, what do you want me to do?" I shook, already knowing the inevitable answer.

"Chew, uhh, chew off your paw." The Joker laughed and the static of the speaker went dead, turning on again for a second as he added, "you'll have two minutes to escape…"

I felt like I was in some kind of Saw movie as I struggled with my restraints. My arms weren't just tied together, they were _shackled_, through a chair, with _handcuffs_. Pulling hard I tried to slip my hand free, but they were much too tight and it proved impossible.

His voice echoed in my head '_chew off your paw'_ and that was exactly what I was going to do. With all my might I pushed myself backward, twisting just enough to land on only one of my hands. I let out an agonized cry as the chair, as well as my hand shattered under me. The tears poured unwillingly from my eyes and I rolled over, moving my hands under my legs to inspect the damage.

My hand was clearly broken in several places, enough so that I could wiggle it out of one side of the handcuffs. I winced, biting my lip to silence another painful sob rising from my chest. Clutching it tight against my chest I began to run in search of a way out. Two minutes he said and by the looks of things half of that had already gone by. I counted down from sixty, frantic, in search of the door. The Joker didn't have to tell me this place was rigged to blow.

55, 54, 53… I was suddenly surrounded by three men sporting clown masks. 52, 51, 50. One held a bat, another a knife, and the last had what appeared to be a pipe he probably picked up from around this dingy place. They all came at me at once and I did my best to be guarding of my broken, throbbing hand as I swung at them. 49, 48, 47… One of them slammed his weapon against my back. I turned, throwing my leg up to hook on to the bat and knocked it to the floor, a round house kick following close behind ton knock the man unconscious. 46, 45, 44, 43… I wasn't going to let that happen again, turning once more to grab the end of the pipe as it swung toward me. I pushed forward against it, hitting the one with it in his grip, right in the face. He cried out, and tore off his mask to grip is broken, bleeding nose. 37, 36, 35…

I faced my final oppose who had his knife at the ready. A sour look spread across my eyes, lips pursed in a frown. This was just not my week. I took a run toward the man, already exhausted and closed my eyes just hoping I'd be able to throw him off balance enough to escape. The knife plunged in to my upper arm, but it was nothing compared to the pain I already felt. 23, 22, 21… I finally got up, throwing the knife from my shoulder and in to the guys neck. He convulsed slightly but I didn't wait around to see what was going to happen to him and the others. I had barely enough time to escape from the beginning.

Prying the door open had become its own task. 10, 9, 8… I struggled hard, screaming in rage until it finally gave way, opening just enough for me to squeeze my body through. 4, 3, 2… I burst in to a sprint, diving forward as the explosion erupted behind me. I landed on the ground, the force causing me to lose my balance. Putting my hands out in front of me upon reflex turned out to be my biggest mistake. The broken bones in my left hand rubbed together and shattered further, the wound on my right arm bled even more furiously. My scream of pain rivaled the sounds of the explosion.

"Just fucking kill me if that's what you're after!" I writhed in pain, turning on to my back as I clutched my hand against me.

"That's not what I'm after!" he laughed, appearing suddenly, "I don't wanna kill you!"

I looked over toward him and rubbed my tears away. I didn't understand why he tormented me this way and why he wouldn't just leave me be. But that was the Joker, and I should have known better. We stared at each other for a long time, he stood over me with one leg on each side of my waist. He was bent slightly; probably to get a closer look. I glared through my blurred vision.

"What happened to all that fight?" He brought his hands up in fists, swinging them to simulate a battle.

"I told you," I pushed myself up using my better arm to punch him in the ground, "I fight until I'm spent…"

His body fell away from mine in a fit of giggles as he finished, "and forever on after."

Taking no chances I ran, apparently in the wrong direction when I felt a hand wrap around my ankle. I had enough sense to turn my body this time, landing myself on my back. White burst across my vision, head colliding with a rock but I forced myself to stay conscious. I refused to be knocked out again. With the Joker I had been captured and knocked out more times over the span of five days than I had in my entire career. Things were not looking good for me.

"You _really_ have a lot of fight," the Joker smiled down at me, "and once all _that_ gets, ahh, gets fixed up… I'll be…back for you."

I snarled, "and what if I refuse?"

His foot came down on to my chest, hard enough to knock the wind right out of me. I gasped for air as he removed the foot, police sirens wailing in the distance. He had made his point loud and clear with no words as he placed a Joker card down on my forehead and went to leave.

"Wait a sec," I coughed, "what if they arrest me?"

A cackle brightened his face, "I highly doubt that."

Even as he disappeared my fear became more and more real. The police didn't ever bother me, so long as I wasn't being arrested. A blurry memory crossed my mind's eye, sitting on the cough at my family home, barely two years old.

_The police burst inside and tore the place apart. My father was on the floor and I was screaming, crying out for my daddy. His head snapped in my direction dangerously, giving me a warning look and my cries died away slowly…_

The blurred memory faded as the sirens got louder, feeling like they were right over top of me. I closed my eyes, pretending to be out to avoid questions and confrontation. I couldn't do that, my mind was too jumbled and even if I wasn't; speaking to cops always turned me in to an incoherent mess. It wasn't so much the police themselves that had that effect on me, but what they could do.

…..

Male voices spoke to each other as they climbed from their cruiser, seeing the girl laying on the ground. They rushed over, calling for an ambulance ASAP. One of the officers knelt down, checking for her pulse before removing the Joker's calling card from her forehead.

"Hey man," he raised the card, "check this out."

Both of them looked fearfully at one another until more police cars pulled on to the scene with the ambulance. Paramedics rushed over to inspect the poor girl, mumbling between themselves before getting her carefully loaded on to a stretcher and in to the ambulance.

"One of the Joker's?" Asked one.

"Without a doubt." The other replied.

"Think she worked for him?"

"No way," the paramedic scoffed, "the kid was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Several broken bones, burns, cuts, bruises, stab wounds and a possibly concussion amount of wrong.."

"And that's just what we know… I'm sure she'll have quite the story to tell when she comes to."

"I bet…"

….

I did end up falling asleep and when I finally came to more voices were talking around me. I groaned lightly, groggy from the pain medication I had obviously been given. My eyes slowly opened, blinded by the white lights. I struggled in fear for a moment, thinking back to the warehouse but relaxed when I realized I was in a hospital. A face came in to my view, for once not of the Joker, and I could tell from his white coat that he was a doctor.

"How are you feeling Erica?" He smiled at me.

It took a moment to register the alias before shaking my head, "I'm fine."

My name was Erica Bleu, aged 22, born February 3rd. I was from a single parent home, mother, and left to pursue a career in modeling at 18. I ran through the backstory in my head, trying to remember it all correctly.

"Good," he smiled, "can you tell me your last name?"

"Bleu."

"And how about your age and birthplace."

"22, February 3rd." I squinted, my head pounding.

He checked the beeping monitor next to me and nodded in approval. His eyes went back to my face and he smiled at me. I forced one in return and closed my eyes, faintly hearing him say that he was going to give me more sleep aids and pain killers. I just laid there, neither accepting of declining the idea.

When he thought I was out again he turned to the nurse in the room and spoke in a low voice. "We tried to contact a family member but it appears as if she's not even real."

"What do you mean?" The nurse sounded worried.

"No dental records or finger print matches... Not a single person seems to know who she is. A real live Jane Doe."

"But she told you who she is," the nurse argued, "besides what are you checking things like fingers prints for? She's not a criminal."

_You have no idea. _I thought, fighting back a sick laugh.

"Well maybe not, but the Joker left his card and the police needed to be certain."

"The Joker?!" The nurse exclaimed.

"He had to have left her alive for _some_ reason…"

"Maybe he _thought_ she was dead?"

"That doesn't sound like the Joker." The Doctor sighed.

"Neither does keeping someone alive like that."

"Well, the police have her under 24 hour surveillance to make sure nothing happens."

"And lets hop nothing does."

The room went silent and I was sure that I had fallen asleep, dreaming of nothingness. Still I could hear voices starting up again, the same Doctor but a new nurse this time. Her voice was more childish compared to the first, who was probably an older woman.

"What happened to her?" The nurse asked.

"The Joker is what happened," the Doctor replied, "a broken hand, stab wound to the shoulder, slits on her mouth, a large bruise –probably cause by a metal bat- taken to her back, bruising on both legs, burns from the explosion, and to top it all off a large bump on the back of her head. They're saying when they found her she was laying against a rock and that's probably what caused it."

"My god, that's awful."

"She seemed fine when we spoke earlier, but she still seems messed up."

"Poor thing…"

"Yeah well, we're not out of the water yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Obviously the Joker had some kind of plans for her, and he may not be done yet." The Doctor admitted.

The nurse gasped, "no."

"Don't worry… we have 24 hour surveillance on her. I'm going to quickly check on some other patients, stay here would you Danielle?"

"Of course doctor…"

…

They've got cops watchin' outside her room Boss." One of the Joker's henchmen informed him after leaving the hospital.

"I, uhh, I expected this, Dane." The Joker grinned on the other end of the phone line.

Dane nodded, "should we wait for you to get here?"

"Oh no, no no… come back to, uhh, to the hide-out. Let the girl rest."

"You sure Boss?"

"Don't. Question. Me." He hung up the phone immediately after his response. Dane climbed back in to the car with another guy and the two drove away from the hospital, curious as to why their Boss was taking such an interest, and maybe even a liking to this mysterious raven haired girl. What the hell made her so god damn special?


	5. Let's Go Boys

Three days, four hours, five minutes, and six seconds… The Joker opened his eyes and in that moment, feeling completely restless decided it was time. He threw on his jacket and left his room, calling for three of his men, Dane, Shawn, and Bryce to get the car loaded. The time was 3:57am and they had all been shaken from their sleep hurrying to do as the Joker asked in fear of getting shot. They weren't 'planning' on blowing anything up just yet, and focused on getting all the guns they could loaded in before the Joker came out, carrying a semi-automatic over his shoulder.

"Let's go boys!" He said with a playful tone, the four of them climbing in to the SUV and taking off.

The Joker hummed a cheerful melody the entire way, silence befalling him one they reached the hospital. He didn't hesitate to enter the building, shooting at the ceiling to get everyone's attention. A smile broke across his lips, licking at them a little in excitement. He always loved the sounds of screaming and gasps of terror. They were like music to his ears.

"I'm wondering if any of you _fine_ folk can help me out…" He pointed the gun around at the different people. One woman even fainted causing his laughter to gently shake through his body.

"What do you want?" A brave Doctor stepped forward, one who fit the description his men had given him of the one treating the girl he was after.

The Joker beamed, "one of, ahh, your patients…Doc."

The Doctor winced back; his delighted tone was full of venom. He knew exactly which patient the madman was referring to and shook his head to his own astonishment. The Clown Prince of Crime loomed over the Doctor, his knife clicked open and he pressed it hard against the man's cheek. He was daring him to shake his head again, waiting for him to sign his name on his own death wish.

"She's in room… um room 801." The Doctor choked out.

This sent a thrilling chill up the Joker's spine, a fit of giggles erupting from his lips. He casually sauntered over to the elevator, signaling for one of his men to come with him. The others would stay behind and guard the lobby or take the stairs up. The elevator doors closed and they climbed the building floor by floor.

…

I could hear the commotion out in the hallway but refused to get out of bed, propped up comfortable while I enjoyed some food the nurses had brought me earlier that night. Knowing full well who was causing the bustle in the hallway, I picked quietly at my fruit, humming to myself. I was beginning to think he wasn't going to show and in that exact moment I had let my guard down he came around to collect me, just as he said he would.

"Right on time…" I sighed, placing a strawberry in my mouth.

The Joker rounded the corner, shooting down the two officers standing guard outside my door. I watched as they fell, he kicked them aside and poked his head in, looking almost surprised to see me awake at this hour. But I just waved my broken hand at him, dropping it again before eating another piece of fruit and resumed my humming.

I didn't look up as he approached me until his fingers wrapped themselves around my wrist, keeping me from taking any more of my food. He grinned when I hissed and tried to pull my hand away but his grip was too strong and got tighter the more I struggled, causing me to give up. I had taken too much pain medication to fight right now but I had enough sense of where to pick my battles, saving what strength I had for when I'd really need it. He tore me from my bed and I quickly stumbled along behind him, dodging the bodies that now littered the floor with a bit of a jump as he did. Despite my respect for the Clown Prince of Crime, I hated him for all he'd put me through and had a sinking feeling that this was only just the beginning…

He tossed a gun my way as we descended the stairs. He asked me if I could use it and in response I shot one of the officers running at us. Right in the head. The way his voice ordered me made me think of my father and I reacted as I would have with him, a loyal dog attempting to please its master. The Joker couldn't hold back a chuckle of amusement, firing off rounds to clear us a path. We burst from the hospital, surrounded by squad cars and the Joker took hold of me, placing his gun to my head.

"Play along…~" He whispered, his lips pressed against my ear.

I simply shivered in distaste, attempting to pull myself away. His vice like grip tightened and he led me down the front steps, his voice threatening the police to stay back. Knowing he wasn't actually going to shoot me didn't calm my nerves at all, the numerous eyes watching us made me uneasy. All of them seeing me, knowing I was this psycho's hostage. Someone was bound to recognize me, despite how careful I had been in the past. I inclined my head downward, watching my feet as we walked, hoping no camera crew or something got a shot of my face and I'd be all over the news.

The Joker made me so reckless…

All of the sounds around me died away when he pushed me in to the getaway car and slammed the door shut. I pulled my knees together, face falling in to my heads. I had been so distracted, why didn't I just shoot him when he handed me that gun? I growled at myself knowing it was the exact same reason I hadn't shot my father those numerous times I could have. It was too late now, he took it away before he'd "taken me hostage" and I doubted I'd get another shot.

Driving through Gotham was enthralling I'll admit, the Joker was sharp at the wheel, precise, and yet so careless. Eventually we lost the police and he stopped the vehicle, getting out and whistling at me like a dog to follow. When I didn't comply he came over and tied a rope around my wrists to pull me along with, not being the lease bit careful of my broken hand. I had to jog in order to keep up with him, and stop him from tugging on the rope to hurt me.

He didn't seem to take much notice, weaving through the alleyways and dark streets until we came to the old apartment building he'd let me escape from days earlier. This time I was sure I would not be so lucky. Still I had many tricks left up my sleeve and I was going to use them if ever an opportunity arose. Taking in my surroundings I could see this building hadn't been used for quite some time until the Joker got here. Very few men were scattered around, shuffling along or sleeping in random rooms we passed. Some gawked at my scandalous appearance, dressed in nothing but a short hospital gown. I had no shoes, or socks, or even underwear on for crying out loud. Suddenly I felt rather self-conscious, but the others didn't have a real chance to get a good look at me as the Joker snarled at them in warning. He went so far as to shoot one of them whose eyes lingered just a bit too long.

I wasn't surprised at all.

My face twisted in discontent when we reached the end of one of the higher level hallways and he tossed me in to a room waiting there. I rushed at the door, ramming in to it with my shoulder when the Joker slammed it right in my face. I cried out in pain, my stab wound throbbing. I kicked the door when I heard it click, he had locked me in and I screamed out at him, knowing he could hear me from the fit of muffled giggled I heard in return. Sliding down against the door I pulled my legs in to my chest and sighed, eyes slowly coming to adjust to the darkness.

A gentle stream of light came in through a far window, becoming brighter as time dragged on. Judging by its position I was pretty sure the time was somewhere after 5am and leaned I leaned my head back against the door, closing weak and tired eyes. I hadn't been sleeping much since they'd begun weaning me off the sleeping pills I was being given at the hospital. It was quite a bummer for me because I'd been getting the best sleep I had in a long time. Now my mind went back to racing, my head throbbed and a sick feeling returned to my stomach as my thoughts mixed with sick images of things I had done in the past and what I wanted to try doing in the future. There was no escaping it for me. I wouldn't be sleeping any time soon. Not in a place like this especially. So for the time being I sat there against the door and listened for movement, voices, and a pestering silence.

…

As the Joker headed down the hallway to his room the girl screamed and pounded against the door, calling him every name in the book, most of which he had heard before. But some were definitely new and he gave her props for that. He couldn't help his laugh, she was just so amusing to him, and her violent and destructive behavior was quite refreshing for him. The day had only just begun and yet he found himself in a more than exhausted state. He crawled in to bed and he was out before his head hit the pillow. Now that one thing was done he could get back to focusing his attention on Batsy.

The henchmen were all beginning to stir and wake up, chatting casually amongst themselves as they went through a morning routing. Two of the guys in particular, speaking in hushed tons glanced around to make sure no one could hear them. A dark haired male with blue eyes and a much shorter male with shaggy hair falling over his face.

"The Boss ain't tellin' us something." One whispered, his blue eyes darkening at the thought.

"When does he ever tell us anything?" The shorter one snapped back in reply.

Blue eyes nodded, "so what should we do about this 'problem'?"

"That's easy," he shook his hair out of his face, "we _eliminate_ it."

"Boss is not going to be too happy about this Damon…"

The shorter one growled, "he won't be happy if _she's_ the reason he gets _locked_ back up either, idiot!"

"Well yeah…"

"Besides who _knows_ what he's going to do with her. He told us to leave her be, not to even _look_ at her wrong and I'm not sharing my cut of our profits with some little bitch…"

Agreeing instantly, blue eyes nodded.

"Now go do something useful..."

Both men went their separate ways, Damon glancing around a little one last time to assure no one had heard their little conversation. But someone had, slinking back in to the darkness to remain hidden. Things were falling apart within the Joker's band of men and it was time for an all new crew once again. The figure smiled and disappeared. Soon… soon everything was going to change.

For everyone.


	6. Rule 2

_The air around me still feels like a cage...~_

Hours passed and slowly I began to drift away. Everything around me had grown silent, voices coming and going now and again from the hallway. My eyelids were getting heavier with each passing moment and soon I felt myself losing touch with reality. I began to forget that I had been kidnapped, locked away and left there for who knows how long. My mind drifted away to my earlier years, the little things I could remember of it anyway. I could barely make out the small figure sitting by herself on a tiny bed, swinging her feet over the side. It took me a moment to realize the long dark haired girl with pale skin and dead eyes was me. I couldn't remember a time when I felt comfortable in my own skin, or alive for that matter and killing others was my way of chasing that, trying to catch a sensational high I'd only felt a handful of times.

_The sounds around me were less than comforting. I swung my little legs over the side of my squeaking bed, humming to myself to try and drown out all the noise from downstairs. I was barely six years old and already I was being subjected to the criminal lifestyle. The screaming continued and I did my best to ignore it, refusing to move from the spot on my bed as my father had instructed. The entire house went quiet and I stopped moving, stopped breathing. Waiting to see what had happened._

_Time ticked by and soon footsteps could be heard climbing the stairs. I resumed swinging my legs, not wanting to get in trouble for listening in. My door slammed open and in walked a tall, pale, and classy looking man in a black suit carrying a gun in one hand and dragging another man by the hair with the other. My dark eyes stared down at my hands, fumbling with them nervously. The man was thrown at my feet and I jumped a little, startled as he fought to get to his feet only to receive a swift kick to the head. Looking from the man who now convulsed on the floor to the one in the suit, I wondered what was going on. He smirked at me, raising the gun toward the other man without even looking and pulled the trigger._

_Blood sprayed from his head, a voice echoing through the room, "never give yourself time to think, fire as soon as the gun is in position. Your mind will fight you to do otherwise if you don't."_

_Rule #2: Never give yourself time to think..._

My head bobbed forward, startling me awake. I looked around the sun washed room, panting a little. I had expected to see that man dead on the floor in front of me, his blood and brain matter spilled out on the carpet but there was nothing, no one there as I feared. A sigh of relief escaped my lops as I stood, shuffling across the floor toward the window. It seemed to be a cold day, despite the sun being bright in the sky. People bustled down in the streets belong, going on with their lives, unaware of all the terrible things around them. I placed a hand against the cool glass, envious of them. Sometimes I wondered how nice it would be to live so ignorantly, go through life in such bliss. I found myself laughing darkly; had I been so ignorant I would have no doubt had been killed by now. I was not prepared to die and I was much too aware of the darkness in the world around me, and the darkness within myself that even if I wanted to ignore it all now I simply could not.

Pain throbbed in my brain, forcing me to put the drapes back in their original position and block out the sun. I circled around the small room, trying to stay awake but the more I tried the harder it became. The walls were a dingy off-white, with cobwebs in just about every corner. The drapes were a solid green, causing the color in the room to change as the sun moved, the intensity changing along with it. It was soft under my feet but crunchy in some spots on the grey colored carpet from some kind of liquid being spilled there and never cleaned up or something. There was not a single piece of furniture in the room either, and the door looked like it had been reinforced to prevent me, or whoever else was locked in the room from breaking out. I'd noticed the same had been done to the windows, which was why I hadn't tried to break it and escape. There was no point in breaking my other hand or quite possibly my foot in the process. Then I'd really have no chance of getting myself out of here.

Finally I gave in to m body's urge to sleep and curled up in the middle of the room, laying on my better arm like a pillow in hopes of being at least a little comfortable. It wasn't the worst I had endured, at least there was carpet, but it wasn't the best either. I placed my other hand over my eyes to block out the rest of the light flooding in and slowly but surely my body gave out and I fell fast asleep. It was a solid, dreamless sleep, charging my energy back up for what was ahead.

...

"Wakey, wakey..~" A laughing voice spoke, causing me to jolt awake.

I cursed, feeling something tossed over my body.

"Get dressed."

I grabbed at the clothes draped over my body and opened my eyes, slowly allowing them to focus in the darkness of the evening. I looked toward the door to see the Joker just standing there, eyes locked on mine.

"Don't. Make. Me. Say. It. Again." He growled, licking at his lips as he enunciated each word.

"Get out first." My groggy voice hissed back and he simply turned his body away from me, not leaving. That pissed me off. Making a run at him, he quickly spun back around and grabbed the punch I'd thrown. He crushed my fingers under his gloved hand, snarling dangerously in my face. I cried out, feeling my back slam up against the closest wall. His breath was hot in my face, a cold blade on my cheek.

"I suggest-ahh, that you don't... try that again."

His body pushed away from mine and he pointed to the clothes on the floor. This time I obliged, going over and picking through the pieces to see just what I had to work with. A green bra and pair of undies... I couldn't help blushing a little, slipping from my hospital gown to put on the undergarments, followed by a purple, low v-neck t-shirt, black button up vest that rested under my breasts, perking them up even more, black skinny jeans and my buckled boots. As I buttoned up the best I looked over my shoulder to see the Joker was just staring at me. I made a face in return and a smile appeared on his, turning to leave the room and motioned with his head for me to follow.

Quickly I chased after him, knowing the potential consequence if I refused again. We padded along down the hall, heading down numerous flights of stairs and passing many confused faces. I kept my head down, focusing on the Joker's footsteps as we reached the main level. He stopped so abruptly, I practically ran right in to him when he turned his body to face me. Our eyes met, and I raised an eyebrow, curious as to why he was just staring at me that way. Neither of us blinked for what felt like a long time before the silence was broken.

"I forgot to ask your name." He remarked. He raised his head so he had to look down at me even more, as if reminding me how much larger he was.

My shoulders shrugged, "call me whatever, don't really have a name."

"Alright _'whatever'_ it is then." He turned, giggling and skipped out of the building toward a waiting car. "Get in, Whatever."

"Where are we going?" I felt his hand come around the back of my neck, his knife resting on my cheek. Once released I climbed in the back of the van and crossed my arms. It was a simply question...

"Don't take it personally..." A low voice told me as the Joker made his way around the front of the car. "It's best to just go along with what he says, less painful that way."

I nodded, not wanting to risk getting caught in a reply as the Joker climbed in to the driver's seat. I had wanted to tell the guy off, tell him that I wasn't working for the Joker so I didn't had to listen. No way in hell. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed I _was_ working for him. The thought lasted awhile, going over the pros and cons in my head. He hadn't exactly been formal about it, hadn't asked me to join him so I couldn't be sure. Did the Clown Prince of Crime really just take anyone from off the streets to help him with his criminal activities? Did he know who I was? I had grown up learning to be curious, learning to be cautious and I saw many red flags. But for some reason I was ignoring all of them. I still wanted to escape; but could this relationship -if you could even call it that- really be the best choice for me? Or would the Joker kick me to the curb the moment my old Boss came around to collect?

Joker slammed on the breaks, causing my unexpecting body to lurch forward. I braced myself against the back of the seat in front of me, hissing as my broken hand protested. The guy sitting there handed me a clown mask and we all put one on. I felt completely bewildered to say the lest, not having a clue as to what we were doing. I was so used to meticulous, calculated, and precise plans that this put a burning fear in the pit of my stomach. Climbing from the car we entered a large building and from the looks of things it was a band. I wasn't even sure when I was handing a gun but I used it threateningly as my ears strained to hear what was being said around me.

"Just follow after me, Kid." The low voice from earlier said from behind me and I nodded as both of us ducked down behind a large desk, shots fired in our direction. "Never boring at a mob bank."

"Mob..?" I repeated the word, it seemed lost to me now. The band of a potential employer and here I was going god knows what -stealing money I assumed- against them.

"Boss didn't tell you _anything_, _did_ he?"

"Uh no... no he didn't."

I could hear the frown in his voice, "just stay close."

Another presence came upon us and I reacted, shooting my gun without a second thought about it. The figure fell to the ground and I got to my feet, feeling a rush of adrenaline surge through my body. I ran toward another masked clown, disappearing in to the back. Bullets whizzed by my head as I turned the corner, pressing my back tight against the wall. I could hear the Joker laughing an followed the sound until a large vault came in to view, him and two more clowns working on breaking in to it. None of them seemed to notice me there and had it not been for the feeling of someone sneaking up behind us I would have taken all three of their lives before they knew it. Instead, I brought my arm up, elbowing whoever it was behind me right in the nose. I shifted my weight and spun around, kicking the unknown man hard in the knee. He collapsed to the floor, hollering in pain.

"I _really_ don't like it when people sneak up on me..." I snarled, bringing my knee up hard in a devastating blow under his chin. The body jerked back and fell motionless. "I trust you won't do it again."

An eruption of applause broke my concentration on the man dead before me. I liked to have these moments with those I'd killed only to show them I felt nothing for my actions and I liked being one hundred percent truthful with my victims. It really felt like the only time I could. Slowly I turned back toward the joker, knowing he was the one clapping and began to glare daggers. This was the only time I ever felt at ease and that clown faced bastard had ruined it for me. His body was shaking, ceasing his claps in order to remove the mask on his face, panting a little from laughing so hard.

"Oh you _are_fun!" His face brightened even more, if that were even possible, and his eyes swirled with dark ideas I could feel even from this distance.

"Were in Boss, now wha-

Both men were dead in a pool of their own blood before I could blink. The Joker hadn't even turned around to look at them when he shot. He simply smirked at me, much like the man in my dream had. I clenched my jaw tight, fearing that if I spoke, I would end of like them. Visions flashed across my mind, seeing myself in a bloody heap on the floor. I clenched my fists as I felt the pain quickly explode in my head. It was in my best interest to just shake off the pain, and I was right to, looking up just in time to catch a bag full of money being tossed my way. His mask was back on and it was like nothing had happened.

"I told you to stay close." The low voice laughed next to me, catching another bag thrown our way.

"I don't think," I told him, "just kind of do..."

His laughter got a bit louder, "you and the Boss are going to get along juuuust fine."

There were no words, slinging two more bags over my shoulders and carrying one more toward the front of the bank. It seemed like not a single person was left alive. I turned slightly to look at the guy next to me carrying twice as much money as I was and tilted my head to ask if he'd done all this.

"Guess the Boss and I get along pretty well, too."

I rolled my eyes, "go figure."

He didn't respond, tossing the bags of money in to the back of the van, myself and the Joker following suit. Sirens go closer and closer, our work going a little faster...

A shadowy figure caught my eye, giving me just enough time to jump back, the top of the car crushing under the powerful weight of the Batman. The Joker was laughing and the other guy fired his gun. I backed away slowly at first, deciding to take a different approach and pushed myself away from the scene, busting in to a run. What a perfect time to escape, with everyone's attention on the flying rat vigilante no one would even notice. I tore the mask from my face, ditching it in a garbage bun I passed down one of several alleyways. I kept the gun for protection, slipping it i to my boot as I kept running, the only sounds in my ears were my feet over the pavement and my pounding heart.

I ran for a long time, only really slowing down what I realized how suspicious I would look. Allowing myself to catch a few gasps of air I leaned forward on my knees. I felt like I should be pleased with this escape and yet... My head shoot in protect, ahead of my brain in thinking I should go back and help. I counted the number of times he'd threatened me, the amount of pain he'd put me in and refused the thought. Nothing was going to make me go back there and help him, the Joker was officially out of my life. I rubbed the sweat from my brow and moved back out on to the sidewalk, back to square one, in search of a place to rest...

**A/N: I realize there have been quite a few mistakes throughout... understand that when I type these out from their original writing in my binder it's usually 2-3 in the morning and I don't catch all the mistakes until I go over it again after it's been posted. Hopefully you can still understand what's going on... chapters will slowly get longer I hope... and I'm not sure if anyones enjoying this... I really hope you are as I've put a lot of thought in to this story... Thanks again for reading. ^^**


	7. Debt

...

The Joker looked up just in time to see the girl disappear around a corner. He fought hard against Bats, now he was really getting angry. He threw a look toward his henchman, Jes, and motioned him to follow her. Police surrounded them and he was cuffed before he could get away. Both men struggled, but their efforts were futile, caught by Batman and the Gotham City Police. His sour mood had gone as soon as it came, deciding he would get her back at a later time. This way she could heal up and establish herself before he made it known that she belonged to him. If he knew her like he thought he did; she would stay in Gotham, only further proving that she was his. He hadn't been able to stop himself from laughing, the thought of a pet as dangerous as her excited him. He was going to have so much fun!

Both men were initially brought to Blackgate but only Jes stayed there, Joker transferred almost immediately back to the Arkham Asylum where everyone felt he belonged.

"Home, sweet home." The Joker whistled as they led him inside, strapped down on a vertical bed type contraption. The wheels squeaked as he was pushed along, greeting people they passed with a chipper attitude. Venomous glares filled the eyes of the guards and Doctors alike. In some way or anything the Joker had caused them serious pain and his mood was no returned. Everyone was glad to see him locked up again, and yet no one wanted him there. He was known for his amazing escape act and the staff had made sure this time would be different. Still, deep down they knew his escape was inevitable and it was best to just... stay out of the madman's way.

A week crawled by...

"Let's go Joker." His guards voice called, unlocking his maximum security cell.

"Are they letting me go?~" He giggled, getting to his feet.

"Oh yeah," the guard replied sarcastically, "Doctor Quinzel is waiting for you in her office..."

The guard led the Joker down a series of dimly lit hallways. He had done it so many times before that even with his eyes closed he knew exactly where he was going. The guard opened Dr. Quinzel's door and stood in waiting as the Joker took a seat, smiling mischievously toward her. She smiled in return, dismissing the guard who looked at her with an uncertain glare down at the green haired man.

"We'll be fine, I'm sure." She assured, and he left.

It was quiet for a moment, Doctor Quinzel staring down in thought at the paperwork before her. This was their first session since he'd arrived a week ago, and not a single disturbance had been reported. usually he would have tried something by now and yet... nothing.

Harleen looked up, "how have you been holding up Mister J?"

The Joker smiled with a slight shrug to his shoulders, "you know me, it's uhh, it's good to be home..~"

"Really," she gave him a look from over top her glasses, "I'm glad."

"It's good to see you as well, Doc. How've you been?" His smile brightened charmingly.

She couldn't help the blush rising in her cheeks. As much as she refused to believe Mister J had an affect on her, she was being easily roped in with each session they had together. She felt special, the way he treated her so kindly and without hate. Harleen Quinzel was falling deeper and deeper in to his influence and he knew it, it was only a matter of time before he could use it to his advantage. Still; this visit was not the one where he'd finally break her, he didn't need her yet and slowly he was biding his time before he could be rid of this place. Perhaps next time... but there were more important things to be dealt with now.

Their sessions went on for a few hours every couple of days but the Joker was becoming very bored. Day in and day out if he wasn't with Doctor Quinzel he was in his cell just waiting for it to click inside him so he could let the chaos out. It wouldn't be now now, his hands rested behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. he was deep in thought but still very much aware of his surroundings. Aware of the night guard making his usual rounds...

"Right one time..~"

...

Time passed. How much time I wasn't sure, but my hand was all healed. I hadn't heard any news about the Joker and frankly I wasn't paying much attention to anything outside my own business. With dark eyes I glanced up at the man sitting before me, a Mr. Tosh, at his desk. We had been doing business together for about three weeks and so far he seemed pleased with the work I had done. It was simply really, kill a rivaling mob boss here, tail another guy there... Still I didn't disappoint from what he told me, sliding a fat stack of bills across the desk in my direction.

He didn't seem surprised when I refused, waving a ringed hand to dismiss me. I moved to exit the room, bowing my head gently as one of the men standing guard at the door handed me a large manila envelope, surely pertaining to my next job. I got in the elevator and watched as the numbers got smaller and smaller. I left the building with the envelope tucked casually under my arm, whistled for a taxi to take me to the apartment I was staying in and waiting for the familiar place to come in to view. About two weeks ago I had come here for the first time, following a man as he entered his apartment. The only issue I had was cleaning his blood out of the carpet afterward but now you could barely tell it was there unless you were looking for it. This seemed the perfect place for me as the man had no family, and no one knew where he was living. I'd be safe here for at least a month and it was nice not to jump from hotel to hotel for a little while.

I unhooked the key from my belt, stepping cautiously instead. Perhaps no one knew where he lived, but that didn't mind someone wouldn't eventually track me back here. I had to be careful none the less. Everything appeared to be in place, allowing my tense shoulders to relax a little, tossing my coat on to its hook near the door. I padded along the carpet, removing my shoes as I went and tossed them under my coat. My feet came in contact with the cool ceramic floor of the kitchen and I reached in to the cupboard to grab a mug. I switched on the coffee pot, buried my head in to the fridge and pulled out a piece of cake, one I had been waiting to eat all day.

The calming aroma of coffee filled the apartment, causing me to loosen p even more after such a long day. I sat down, filled my coffee mug, added creamer and enough sugar to kill me before I really breathed, realizing how tight my chest had been feeling all day. I was beginning to feel like life had fallen back in to its regular routine again and placed a cake covered fork to my lips, savoring the flavor. It was quiet, and the ringing in my ears was staring to get on my nerves. I switched on the TV, peering in to the living room as I sipped at my coffee, listening to the 11 o'clock news.

At first it was just background noise to keep me company while I finished my piece of cake, but the innocent news about whatever had taken a terrible turn. My heart stopped when the anchor reported the Joker was on the loose again. I moved quickly to the living room to get a better listen. Suddenly my nerves were back full force, I felt sick to my stomach and unable to focus. A throbbing headache burst through my brain, causing a whimper of pain to escape my lips. I knew this was going to happen, but I was only just getting settled. Couldn't he have waited? I should have known better, the moment I got comfortable he would show up again.

I didn't get any sleep that night. Not a wink. For hours I sat curled up on the big leather arm chair in the corner of the room just listening to the TV for anything about the Joker. The 11 o'clock news played again around 4am and I made sure to pay attention, running the information through my head. It was on the day I had escaped that he had been caught. They showed a small clip of the Batman taking him, and the other guy we had gone in with in to custody. His face looked even more insane than usual as he struggled, his eyes locking on to the camera for a moment as if seeing me there. he laughed sickeningly, throwing his head back before the clip cut. I shivered back and closed my eyes. He was going to be so mad... I was as good as dead.

The sun rose over the horizon and I got up to make another cup of coffee. Drinking it as I moved around the apartment in thought I remember the manila envelope and went over to check its contents. I pulled the papers out, straining to read the words laid out in front of me and slid my feet in to my shoes. I wasn't going to bother with a shower, or changing clothes... There was a set time this assassination job had to be done and I only had about thirty minutes before that time expired. I threw my hair up in to a loose ponytail and headed down the street to the location I was instructed.

As usual, my heart pounded; blood rushing to each part of my body. I tried to calm my breathing, discard any outside distraction and do my job. We were in a public place, a park for that matter. The target was up on a podium making some kind of speech. I climbed in to a tree, shaded under the cover of leaves and watched carefully. Public assassinations always bothered me because I could never get close enough for a sure fire hit. Still, I aimed my handgun, confident that I was close enough to make the shot. The bullet was right on the mark, hitting the desired target. People screamed as he fell, birds from all around flew away startled and I quickly moved myself in to the crowd, blending in to get away unnoticed.

I approached a black Limousin at the edge of the park and got in without a word. Tosh sat inside, looking as pleased as ever. We drove away from the chaos and slowly the tightening in my chest relaxed enough to let me breath. He spoke casually with me and I decided to wait until we were at his office to ask about the kind of payment I would require. If I was to continue my serviced I wanted protection from the Joker. I had a bad feeling he'd come for me again and this time I wanted to be ready for it.

We entered the office, my Boss taking a seat and motioned for me to do the same. I crossed my legs and closed my eyes, thinking of how I would word my request. The Joker was dangerous, I knew it, and I was sure everyone else knew it, so I had to be careful.

"Something is on your mind..." He spoke, bringing me away from my thoughts.

"It's about my payment."

A stack of cash slid across the table and I shook my head.

"I need protection."

"Protection?"

"Yes," I nodded once, "from the Joker."

Immediately his demeanor changed and I could tell he had become suddenly uncomfortable. I shifted my own position, eyes serious. There was so much fear surrounding the name that I wasn't sure I'd be safe anywhere. Everyone seemed to have a level of teaming up with Batman or dying I wasn't sure I'd ever be rid of the Clown Prince of Crime. I let out a deep sigh.

"I cannot continue my services without promise of protection..." I spoke again, making it clear that I was austere.

"You see," he began, "that is simply impossible."

I stood; feeling more people entering the room. my eyes glanced from side to side but kept main focus on the man before me, pulling a gun from his desk drawer.

"If you're in trouble with the Joker our best move would be to eliminate you now, and hand your body over." His voice was cold, evil. I shook my head in anger and disbelief. This could not be happening.

"Why, why are you all so afraid of him?" I snapped, feeling the men behind me move in closer.

"It's not _just_ that," he stood from his desk with the gun pointed at me, "we know you were helping him, the night he was arrested. That was _our_ money you were trying to steal."

"I didn't even know w-

"Save it, your petty excuses are meaningless here."

He continued to hesitate shooting me and I could see his hand shaking a little as he held the gun. my best bet was to distract him, just for a moment so I could get out of the line of fire and retrieve my own gun from my boot. There were give men total in the room and I only had four bullets but my chances were much greater against one man compared to five.

The elevator at the rear of the room made a dinging sound, being the exact distraction I needed to dive behind a large pot a few feet from where I stood. Of course anyone could easily shoot through it but it confused the baboons long enough for me to get my own gun in hand and fire off a few rounds, taking out two of the men, bullets running another direction taking out the other two.

"We made it!" A familiar voice, confirmed my suspicions, entering the room with a sawed off shot gun over his shoulder.

Tosh shook at his desk, pointing his gun at the Joker who stood with a few of his own thugs, kicking the bodies out of the way as he stepped closer to the desk. my breath caught in my throat, leaning back against the wall for support. Had he just saved me? Or did he just want to put me down himself?

"I heard you've been, ahh, been keeping my pup around. Where is she?"

The man I had called my Boss just this morning pointed toward the pot I was hidden behind and it shattered, the Joker shooting right at it. I cowered back, pressed hard against the wall as glass shards exploded around me.

He stepped closer to the desk, "were you going to hurt her?"

Mr. Tosh shook his head.

"_Kill_ her?"

Again.

"Funny," he dropped his gun and hit Tosh's wrist, forcing him to drop his gun as well. "I think you're a liar...and I _**hate **_liars."

The familiar click of his knife filled my ears, he pressed it tight against the cowering man's neck and hissed dangerously. I watched as he pleaded with Joker not to kill him, even crying when the Clown Prince of Crime just laughed in his face.

His face turned toward me for a second, Glasgow grin widening. I barely heard his voice, asking me if I wanted him to kill the bastard. Without a word, I closed my eyes and nodded. There was no point in fighting it anymore, as much as the thought was insane, as much as he had done to me... the safest place for me to be at this point was with the Joker. I was not cut out for life in Gotham without proper criminal guidance.

He was dead when I opened my eyes again. The Joker turned his body away from me, glancing slightly over his shoulder. I stared for a while before getting to my feet. This madman had saved my life and now I owed him the same. This was a code I could not go against. I _had _to remain loyal to him until my debt was paid and from the look in his dark, swirling eyes... he knew it too.


	8. Old dog, New tricks

**A quick thank you to forgetmenotflowers for all the lovely reviews... Really encouraged me to finish this chapter a little early. Hope you enjoy..~**

****...

"It's weird having a girl around..." Jes noted, coming to sit next to me on the couch in one of the main lounge rooms of the Joker's hide out.

I scowled, "sorry for being such a bother."

"Whoa, I never said that! It's just different." He chuckled, resting his arm over the back of the couch behind me.

"Can't say it's not the same for me..." I shifted away from him lightly.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm used to working along," my voice got quiet, "it's different to have people to talk to.

He nodded, "what exactly did you do before?"

"The Boss didn't tell you?" I mocked.

"Uh, no."

"I don't even know if he knows what I do," my eyes looked around, "but why would he keep me here otherwise."

"Boss has his reasons for what he does, but really he just does what he feels in a spur of the moment. Maybe there is no reason for you being here, and he just... felt like it."

"Felt like it?" I shook my head. How could such an amazingly dangerous criminal do things without scheming, planning?

He nodded.

I had been there for three days now and not much had happened since the Joker had killed Mr. Tosh. Jes had finally introduced himself to me, meeting us down in the getaway car when he left the building behind. He appointed himself as my protector and I wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. I did my best to keep my distance but he followed me around like he was lost or something. Still; Jes was a very playful kind of guy who always had something to say and that was enjoyable to me. Really I was surprised he was still alive as he got on the Joker's nerves often, but he was quick enough to stay just far enough out of reach. I couldn't remember the last time I had a friend, and if I wanted one... it would probably be Jes.

"Lighten up a little, sweetheart." He poked at my cheek, earning himself a punch in the arm. "Now, 'Whatever' why don't you tell me what your name actually is."

"Nah..."

"Can you tell me _anything_?"

"Brown hair, brown eyes, Caucasian, female..." I listed things off absentmindedly.

He pressed a finger to my lips, "something I don't already know."

"Blood type O negative." I bantered, refusing to give him anything else as I got up from the couch and left the room. Despite having himself a potential 'friend' status I still didn't feel comfortable sharing about myself as that could lead to much more complicated things. I didn't like complicated, simple was perfectly fine with me and if Jes didn't like it, then tough, because my identity was no ones business but my own. If I wanted to share I would, but I didn't see that happening any time in the near or distant future. Not with Jes, or anyone else for that matter.

"Such a tease!" I heard him call from the lounging area and just shook my head denying him a reply. Instead, I headed off to work out a little, noticing that I'd been lacking lately and needed to work my bruised and beaten muscles. I was already dressed in sweatpants and a plain t-shirt so I figured I could just run up and down the flights of stairs to work my legs.

Some of the henchmen gave me a look as if I was growing another head, evading them as I passed by. I ignored them, focusing on counting the amount of time it took me to get from the main floor to the top floor and how many times I could do it before my legs gave out. There were ten flights of stairs, and though I was slow at first, a light jog at best, I finally pushed myself to a full run up and down. Six times total before I finally collapsed, panting heavily. I rested my elbows on my knees and chin on my hands, trying to catch my breath. I was on about the middle of the eighth set of stairs, shaking a little from my bodies lack of working out. I made a mental note to try and do more each time. Being this out of shape was not good for me...

When my breathing returned to normal I noticed just how quiet it was. I looked around, seeing not a single henchman around me anymore. As I got up and traveled down the hallway I found it painted with smiles, a single door at the end painted purple. My heart stopped and I stepped back, hoping to god that he didn't hear me and slowly kept backing away, watching the door for any movement. A towel fell around my shoulders and I squeaked, startled. I had been so focused on the front of me I didn't take in to account what could be behind.

"Might wanna quiet down." Jes laughed quietly.

"Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?!" I yelled my whisper.

He held out a bottle of water, "thought you could use this."

I swiped it away from him and looked at it, giving it a quick inspection before downing the entire thing, all in one breath. Now I was beginning to feel again, dehydrated and disoriented. We headed back to the stairs and sat down. I rested back in my original position and closed my eyes.

"What was that?" He asked, sitting next to me.

"What was what?" I crushed the water bottle in my hand.

"The water bottle..."

"I was thirsty."

"No I mean," he shook his head when I looked at him, "the way you checked it out."

"One of my rules."

"What?"

"Never accept food or beverage without first checking for poisons and/or other drugs."

"Too bad you missed it.."

"What?!" By the look on his face I realized he was kidding and hit him in the arm. "That's _not_ funny."

He laughed again, "but it _is_."

I just rolled my eyes.

"But seriously, why don't you tell me more about your uh..rules?"

"They're just a set of guidelines I follow..."

"Okay so number one is not to accept sustenance."

"No, rule number one is..." I sighed.

He leaned in curiously.

"That's rule 16."

"How many rules do you have kiddo?"

I tried to think, "about...100."

"What?!" He slapped his knee in a fit of laughed. I was beginning to understand further why he and the Joker got along so well.

"They're designed to help me survive."

"What's number 57?"

"Comfort is not a necessity."

"30."

"Don't be predictable."

"Number 2?"

"Don't. Get. Caught."

"So whats number 1 and 100?"

"Number one hundred is have no mercy."

He nodded, "and one...?"

I shook my head, "one goes along with number 66."

"Which is?" He pressed.

"Don't give away too much, if any, information." I stated blankly and got to my feet. Jes tried to follow but I shot him a daring glance and he got the hint, heading down the stairs as I went up. Since coming here again I hadn't done much much exploring and decided it was time to start. I found the door that led to the roof and broke out in to the cool night air.

Stars scattered across the sky, the moon hanging brightly amongst them as I crossed the roof, dragging my feel a little. It wasn't overly late, maybe 1am, but my schedule had been on night owl for years now. Since I was little I suffered from severe chronic insomnia. I was lucky to get eight hours of sleep in a week, let along a night. Sometimes my body would just collapse and I could be out for twelve hours at a time. That only happened once every few months when my body needed to fully recharge, but it never ceased to freak people out if they were around when it happened.

The wind blew gently around me, reminding me of my first night in Gotham. I knew now that those haunting whispers were warning me of what was to come when I thought they were simple welcomes. Now I paid closer attention but the winds had nothing to say. my breath came out visible against the cold air and I watched as it danced along, then disappeared. My mind was at peace in that moment, not rushing from one thought to another like usual. I felt almost normal. Or; what I perceived to be normal.

Reaching the buildings ledge I peered over the side and stared down at the streets below me filled with late night drunks, rushing taxi cabs, bar fights taken elsewhere and the sounds of whining police sirens There was not a single moment of silence here, something was always going on. The City itself was so beautiful, despite its criminal underbelly and had I known of all that was here, I probably would have come much sooner.

"Planning to, ahh, to jump?" The Joker's voice startled me just as much as the force pushing me over the edge of the building. I screamed as he grabbed hold of my wrists and leaned me far over the side of the building. I panted heavily in terror, wincing a little from the pain of my recently healed hand.

Stabilizing my feet I looked back toward him, the feeling of vertigo had become to much for me to handle. I couldn't look down any longer. He smiled at me mischievously but my face turned stone, calm. I didn't want to show how scared I was. If he let me go I would surely die. He held me there for awhile, just staring thoughtfully before letting me up. I moved away from the edge quickly and sat myself down, immediately shaking my head in response to his question.

"That's-ah, not what it looked like from where _I_ was standing." He chuckled.

My eyes stayed on my feet, "I was just taking a look."

"At?"

"Gotham."

"You'll see Gotham in time...if you can, uhh, can survive that long."

"What makes you think I can't?"

"Had I not been the gracious-ah man I am, you'd have died just... a moment ago."

I laughed despite myself, "but you pulled me back up."

"I _could_ have let you fall."

"But that's the point, because you _didn't_." I stood, "why?"

His eyes were no longer on me, head titled up toward the sky looking deep in thought. he enjoyed playing his little games with me but I was done letting him see how much I was bothered by it. I followed his gaze, eyes softening at the sight of the moon. It was a stunning cloudless night, and not even terrible company was going to ruin it for me. I had come up here to enjoy my night and that was what I intended to do.

"Cat got your tongue?" Still I wanted him to answer my question.

"No," he looked back at me, "I just wanted to have a little..fun."

"Scaring people is your idea of fun?"

"Isn't it yours?" He made it sound so...natural.

"No, killing people." I tried to sound the same, but hearing it come out of my mouth just sounded sick.

The stifling laughter rippled through him, "people... people need to be more like you!"

I wasn't sure if I should take that as a compliment or not. I didn't know if I _wanted_ to.

"There's just, ahh, just a few tiny little things I'll need to fix.."

"Fix?" I turned my gaze on him.

"You've got all these...rules."

"How'd you know about those?"

"I can just tell."

My unimpressed look must have told him that I didn't buy it.

"And I have ears-ah everywhere..."

"So," I put my hands in my pockets, "what's wrong with having rules?"

"You see," he smacked his lips thoughtfully, "the only sensible way to live in this world is without rules."

"Rules create order..."

He was on me in a second, my body thrown down to the ground under him as he straddled my waist. "I'm an agent of chaos!" He cried out, raising his arms toward the sky, "and I need _you_ to be the same if we're going to continue this, uh, this part-ner-ship."

"Partnership?" I shook my head, baffled.

He smacked me hard, "what part of **that** didn't you understand?"

"Why me?"

The Joker got to his feet, hunched a little as he looked down at me under his brow.

"Why me?" I repeated.

"Why you," he raised his arms questioningly, "why _not_ you!" It was more of a statement then a question. "_Embrace_ the madness, and you'll see just how much **fun** this can be!"

My mind whirled as he spoke, mouthing the word madness but unable to speak it. He laughed, kicking me down hard when I tried to get up. I coughed, shrinking back on the ground under his looming gaze.

"You'll learn-ah." He chewed on the inside of his cheeks and finally moved away from me, heading back inside. I laid there thinking about all he had said. He made it sound so easy, like I could just throw everything I had been taught right out the window. Did he really think he could teach an old dog new tricks? Or rather; lack there of. What was he planning to do with me and why did I feel so willing to try and go along with it? Was he even planning anything? All these questions haunted me and I knew there was no way I would be getting any sleep for the next few days. I wanted to know; but I knew he wouldn't just come out and tell me. I had to figure this out on my own, and hopefully I'd find myself along the way.


	9. Bruises

_Love is just a camouflage of what resembles rage, again…~_

He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he watched the spunky little brunette order men twice her size around. She was fitting in just fine now, settled quite well next to the Joker. Jes felt a pang of jealousy, but he knew better. Neither of them was capable of love. Two Agents of Chaos, brought together through the smoldering heat of the flames. 'Whatever' turned to look at him, feeling his eyes on her and spat. Jes still remained happy faced behind his mask and continued to look on.

So cute, he could just squeeze the life right out of her.

She didn't wear a mask like the rest of them anymore, instead her face was painted white, tiny crosses painted up upside down, black under her eyes. Sometimes she wore a masquerade style mask, purple and gold over her flawless brown eyes, but that was only when she was too lazy to do her make-up. One could tell just by looking at her face whether the Joker gave her time to prepare or not…

The Penguin, Oswald Cobblepot, had his men surrounding Joker and his 'watch puppy' while the rest of his own henchmen stood back. From where Jes stoof he could barely hear the conversation at hand, but the Penguin looked rather flustered as the Joker brought in to a laugh.

His eyes fell back upon 'Whatever' the name itself simply irritated him to use, but he had nothing else. Aside from the Joker no one could call her anything else. Anyone who tried was already dead. He ached to know what her name was, playing guessing games with her when Joker wasn't around. And yet…nothing. Even the names he thought suited her didn't work once spoken aloud. They didn't fit her, no matter how many times he tried. She had given him a couple of hints though, assuring him he'd never spoken or heard her name before, but that was all he had to work from. Oh how she frustrated him to no end…

Her voice brought him from his thoughts, yelling something about ending a life for threatening her Boss. Cobblepot stumbled a little, his men stepping in closer as the Joker intervened. She really was like a little watch dog. Although she didn't look like much amongst all those men, he was certain she packed one of the mightiest punches.

"Move!" She snarled, men parting as she and the Joker went to leave. There would be no fight tonight it seemed. Jes quickly turned to follow them out as not to be left behind, climbing in to the driver's seat of their blacked out SUV and followed the other henchmen's care back to the hideout.

She curled herself in to the backseat and stayed silently staring out the window the entire ride. Jes was more than certain had the Joker given her the go-ahead she would have killed as many of those men as she could before someone put a bullet in her. She was still living by her rules, following them as strictly as ever but she was beginning to make slip ups. When they got 'home' she climbed from the vehicle and made a mad dash for the door.

The Joker stopped her, throwing her down on the pavement with a deadly look in his eyes. She stared up at him, mirroring the gaze and licked her lips. He had cut in to the corners of her mouth again… Further this time, to which she allowed. Jes watched from the car, afraid to get out as she brought her arms up to protect her face. The Joker hit her repeatedly, mercilessly beating on her. What surprised him most was her lack of reaction, taking each hit like it was nothing. But everyone knew; it was _not_ nothing. She had bruises all up and down her arms, legs, and torso. There were even small cuts occasionally. Not a single one had come from anyone but the Joker.

He loomed in closer to her and finally she snapped, immediately pushing him off of her and taking the position he had held moments ago. The Clown Prince of Crime let out a sick laugh when she tackled him down, hitting him over and over. He didn't bother blocking the hits, just laid there cackling, watching her body shake as she fought off stinging tears. Slowly but surely he was breaking her down, just waiting for her to snap, to let the Chaos and the Madness run wild from within her.

Eventually she was finished, her face like a stone as she got up and headed inside, looking like nothing had happened. Jes was amazed by how easily she could compose herself and go on after the Joker beat her. It happened all the time and still… if you weren't there to witness it or see the bruises, you would _never_ know. She was the most loyal of dogs he'd ever seen and constantly imagined himself pulling at her leash, strangling the life out of her. He just adored that girl…

…

I was on the roof again.

Funny how often I ended up there. The breeze was warm, gently soothing over my battered body. I wasn't sure what had come over me, but something inside made me do it. Had I not snapped on the Penguin I feared something bad would happen. The Joker had _warned_ me specifically to keep my mouth closed, but it just kind of happened. I hadn't accounted for him to be _that_ angry with me over it, but I had obviously caused a problem. Still; I _hated_ that stubby, fat little beaked man and given another change I'd kill him on sight.

The force of the Joker's blows weren't as bad as they usually were. I could breathe without pain this time. It was the look in his eyes that had me on the verge of tears, remembering that same look from my childhood.

_Everything was dark, I slowly raised my head to see what had happened only to be struck again. The tall, sleek man in the suit glared down at me hard and took a step back. I slowly got to my knees, wiping the blood from my cut lip and whimpered. He struck me hard enough to send my body back to the floor, crying out in pain as my head smacked against the cool wood._

_"Get up." He ordered._

_I tried to stand again, his foot coming to my chest and pushing me back down._

_"Get up." _

_"I can't." My small voice wheezed desperately._

_The way his eyes whirled frightened me, looming down closer and closer to my face. I could see a burning rage filling them, causing him to shake slightly. He pressed a long barrel to my head, emotions leaving his eyes for a moment and returning with a caring look as if begging me to get up. And I did, pushing the gun out of his face and rolling to the side, thrusting my body up enough to give me the inertia to be on my feet. I could have sworn a smile flashed across his face before he fired the gun in my direction. I dived for the floor just in time and panted heavily…_

The Joker loomed down over me, _ordering_ me to fight back… and without thinking or referencing back to any of my rules I just swung. It was like he wanted me to fight for myself, even though I was beginning to lose hope that I could. The feeling was invigorating and I had started to think more and more about dropping every one of my rules. They crept in on me no matter what, though, and I accepted that. These rules had kept me alive until now, so why should I let them go? They were my security blanket, something I could fall back on. Like a safety net. What did I have to catch me without that? Nothing…

I was to fight until I was spent and forever on after. That was what he _wanted_ from me, and I was obligated to comply…

My hands rested back behind my head, eyes staring up at the blackening sky. The gunfire, screaming, sirents and all other disturbing sounds had grown comforting to me now. It was the sounds of home. The sounds of _my Gotham_.

…

Damon snarled at his blue eyed partner. "She's getting in closer and closer."

"I know," he cowered, "but what can we do?"

"Find her," his teeth clenched tight, "and _kill_ the bitch. I already _told_ you that!"

"Boss will kill me if I do."

"Don't. Get. Caught." He smirked, reciting one of that blasted girls rules.

"I don't know…" Blue eyes frowned.

"Do it, or I will!"

The larger male shrunk away and left the bathroom with a nod. He had to prove to Damon that he was capable of something; killing that woman otherwise a much worse fate awaited him. He knew the Boss would kill him without a second thought after he found out, but he wasn't sure if that was more terrifying than what Damon had threatened to do… There were many possibilities laid out in front of him but he was brawns, not brains. All he could do was try to follow orders and hope for the best. Every single time he tried to get close to her either Jes or the Boss was around and there was nothing he could do. He had to get her alone.

…

"Need company?~" Jes called out from across the roof.

I turned on to my side and faced away from him, "nope."

"Too bad," he sat down next to me, "I'm staying anyway."

"I was just about to head in for bed."

"No you weren't," he laughed, catching on to my obvious lie. "You and the Boss are never in bed at the same time."

"So he's asleep is he?" I looked at Jes over my shoulder.

He shrugged, "well I saw him go in to his room as I came up here."

I remained silent, thoughtful. The Joker was a lot like me in the sense that the two of us rarely slept and when we do; no one can disturb us without getting very hurt. I made it a point to only sleep when he was awake; that way I knew that he was the one who would disturb me and not some henchman. He made sure that people left me alone, saying something about needing me in tip top shape. I couldn't say I wasn't grateful, but he was one who didn't care what time he woke me up at if he needed me. And sometimes, I didn't mind so much either.

"What was that back there?" Jes's voice startled me from my thoughts.

I should have known he was going to ask. He had been there when the Joker was beating on me, and Jes never did see to understand the concept of privacy. I rolled me eyes, "a little disagreement."

"That's not what it looked like from where I was." He retorted, looking at me with an intense eye.

I prused my lips, and replied in an irritated sigh, "but that's all it was."

"What did you disagree about?"

"None of your business."

I'd had enough, getting to my feet I retreated back for the door to head inside. He grabbed my hand and I turned around, slugging him hard in the jaw. As he fell back I slipped in the door and ran down the stairs, deciding I would get some rest anyway. I was starting to feel a little tired and I just didn't want to deal with Jes anymore tonight.

I crept silently in to the Joker's room and laid myself down on the bench at the end of his bed. Like a dog at the foot of his sleeping master and drifted off, listening to him for any signs of distress or wakefulness due to my entrance, but he remained silent and I remained still…~

**A/N: Nine chapters already?... man I didn't even think I could stick to something for this long, but apparently I am. ^^' I don't know quite yet how I feel about this chapter but I'm really excited for the next one. Sorry the action was in very small doses and the point of view is a little confusing. Hopefully you'll understand and I hope you like it. In other news; I've actually already written the first draft of the final chapter (but don't expect that ANY TIME SOON as the story still has so much that needs to happen) and I'm already rolling around crying about it all. Anyway...thoughts, opinions?**

**Thanks for reading...**

**~S~**


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